Caffé Nero, King’s Square, York (From York Press)

Caffé Nero, King’s Square, York

6:49am Saturday 6th March 2010 in

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THE King’s Square area of York is a popular spot for tourists once the street entertainers get busy. When I visited this new venue with a friend, Steve, it was far from quiet, despite it being a cold, dull February day.

Access is good with just one step up from the pavement.

From the various pre-packed sandwiches and wraps including meat balls with mozzarella and tuna melts, Steve selected a bacon and egg panini, which was toasted. He said the centre of the egg had retained its softness which nicely complemented the crispy bacon. He was one satisfied customer.

I chose the Napoli salami and mozzarella with tomatoes in a panini. This was good and might easily have been enough for a lunch-time snack.

I persuaded Steve to share something sweet. We had the choice of tray bakes, muffins, biscuits and Sicilian lemon cheesecake. The white and dark chocolate truffle cheesecake won the day (£2.40). We both rated this delicious but too sticky to eat without the aid of a teaspoon. A fork would have been appreciated.

Like those in so many specialist outlets, the coffee-making machine caused a hold up at the servery throughout our visit. Steve enjoyed an Americano (£1.80) while I had a regular tea (£1.45). Alternatively there were many varieties of coffee including a Caramelatta (£2.45) and hot chocolate.

We observed jugs of iced water for customers to help themselves, which gained bonus points for the venue, but the smallish serviettes let it down even though they were made from 100 per cent recycled material. An allergy chart was available on request.

The staff T-shirts proclaimed “the best espresso this side of Milan”. I’ll leave you to find out if you think this is true.